Garbage disposal device



' Jul 19, 1949. H. CLISCHINDLER v 2,476,630

GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed May '1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1- I I I INVENTOR.

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J y 1949- H. c. SCHINDLER GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1946 INVENTOR. finkaw (ISM/-01.

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GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed May 7, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR.

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meme July 19, 1949 GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE Harold C. Schindler, Euclid, Ohio, alsignor, by

name assignments, ,to Locklcy Machine Company, New Castle, Pa., a corporation oi Pennsylvanla Application May 7, 1946, Serial No. 667,811

This invention relates to comminuting devices for the disposal of kitchen waste material or garbage and, as one of its objects, aims to provide an improved device of this kind which is of a relatively simplified construction but which will be very efflcient and reliable in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved comminuting device of this character, having a comminutingchamber and a motor-driven rotor and .in which cooperating elements of the chamber and rotor are so constructed and arranged that they produce a rapid and thorough comminuting action on all types of kitchen waste material.

A further object of the invention is to. provide an improved comminuting device of this character, in which the comminuting chamber has shredding elements mounted in slots of the wall thereof and disposed substantially in a spirally extending series.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved comminuting device of the character mentioned, wherein the wall of the comminuting chamber is defined by an insert or linerin which the slots for the series of shredding elements are formed and the shredding elements are retained in place in the slots by having seating engagement with the outer wall of the device.

Additionally, this invention provides an improved waste disposal device of this kind, in which the comminuting chamber has spaced spiral shredding ridges on its inner surface and a series of spaced shredding blades is disposed among the shredding ridges and located substantially on a, spiral line having a reverse slope or pitch with respect to the ridges.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved waste comminuting device of the character mentioned, in which the inlet passage to the comminuting chamber is controlled by a movable guard which is adapted to cause an automatic actuation of a control switch for the driving motor of the device.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved waste disposal device of this kind, having a water connection adapted to supply water for the comminuting operation and controlled by a valve which is actuated automatically in response to movement of the guard.

It is also an object of this invention to-provide an improved comminuting apparatus of the character mentioned, in which the guard is reciprocably slidable transversely of the inlet passage and the, motor switch and water valve are both actuated by the same movable member, the latter Claims. (Cl. 4-190) 2 being located so .as to be engaged and shifted by the closing movement of the guard.

The invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in greater detail and particularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a garbage disposal device embodying the present invention,.the view being mainly in vertical section as indicated by section line l-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the device 1 taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig.1 and showing the inlet guard in its open position;

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the water valve and motor switch actuating means on a larger scale, the view being taken on section line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical sectional viewtaken through the water supply connection, as indicated by section line 4-4 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional plan view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and further illustrating the water supply connection;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional viewtaken through the comminuting chamberand looking down toward the rotor, as indicated by section line 6--6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view taken through the device mainly at a point below the comminuting chamber and looking upwardly toward therotor, as represented by section line 1-1 of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 8 is an upper end view of the liner ofthe comminuting chamber and showing-the same in detached relation; j

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing one of the toothed shredding blades in detached relation;

Fig. 10 is a detail view further illustrating the shape of the teeth of the shredding blades;

Fig. 11 is a detached detail view showing a modified form of shredding blade;

Fig. 12 is a partial vertical sectionalview taken through the comminuting chamber and rotor of a modified form of the device, and

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view taken through the liner for the comminuting chamber of the modified device and showing the liner in detached relation.

As indicated above, the improved comminuting device III is intended for use in disposing of kitchen waste material, such as garbage, by subjecting such material to a grinding or comminuting action so that it can be discharged into the 3 plumbing system through the drain connection of a kitchen sink, or the like. The discharge of the comminuted material through the drain con nection is facilitated by supplying water to the device during the comrninuting operation so that the ground material can be discharged from the device in the form of a sludge. The water thus supplied also serves a useful purpose in assisting the commlnuting operation and in maintaming the interior of the device in a clean condition.

The present embodiment of the comminuting device I is intended for operation in an upright position. as shown in Fig. 1, and can be suitably supported in this position by being suspended from a kitchen sink Ii, or a similar plumbing fixture. The device Hi is provided w th a housing l2 which, as here shown, may comprise a plurality of connected sections l2a, I22) and [20. The section l2a is an inlet section having an inlet opening or throat l3 at its upper end for admitting the material to be ground and a tapered feed passage l4 extending downwardly from the inlet opening. The housing section In is the comminuting sectionv in which is located the comminuting or grinding chamber l5. The section l2c is the outlet or discharge section of the housing and having therein an annular outlet chamber 16 from which a discharge spout or nozzle l'l extends. The housing section l2 may also form part of the housing of an electric motor l8 which is located at the lower end of the device and to which further reference will be made hereinafter.

The comminuting chamber I is an annular chamber which may be formed directly by the wall of the housing section l2b, or preferably as here shown. is defined by an insert or sleeve liner l9 located in this housing section. The comminuting chamber forms a downward extension of the feed passage M of the housing section Ho and also has a downwardly enlarging taper. A comminuting rotor 20 is located in the chamber at or adjacent the lower end thereof so as to form a transverse bottom wall for this chamber. The rotor is driven by the electric motor I8 whose shaft 2| extends axially of the device and is mounted on the upper end of such shaft by being keyed or otherwise connected thereto. The rotor carries one or more axial projections 20a which extend into the comminuting chamber at the sides thereof and are adapted to sweep around the wall of the chamber during rotation of the rotor. A clearance space between the outer edge or periphery of the rotor 20 and the liner l9 forms an annular discharge opening 22 which connects the lower end of .the comminuting chamber IS with the discharge chamber IS.

The comminuting device Hi can be connected with the sink H by any suitable means, such as by the connecting sleeve 23 which extends downwardly through the sink opening Ha. This connecting sleeve has a lateral flange 23a at its upper end which engages and overlies the bottom wall of the sink and, at its lower end, has a threaded connecting portion 23b. A mounting flange 24 is screwed onto the threaded lower end 23b and the housing l2 of the comminuting device is suspended from this flange 24 by annularly spaced'screws 25. As shown in Fig.1 the upper end of the housing section |2a has a lateral flange l2dthrough which the screws 25 extend and a cover flange 26 clamped between the mounting flange 24 and the housing flange 1242 .4 has a central opening which registers with the inlet opening l3. The screws 25 are of a length such that their upper ends will bear against the sink structure II, or preferably as here shown against a leveling ring 21, and will cooperate with flange 23a for holding the device in the desired vertical position.

The above mentioned housing sections l2a,

|2b and are secured together by suitable bolts 26a and the use of yleldable gaskets 21a and 2122, made or soft rubber or other suitable material, provides a vibration-absorbing sealing means between the paired housing sections. A similar gasket 21c is used between the mounting flange 24 and the cover flange 26. The gaskets 21a and 21b also serve the important function of forming yieldable seats for positioning and retaining the liner IS in the desired relation to the wall of the housing section 1212.

The mounting sleeve 23 has an axial passage 23c which forms the drain opening for the sink I l and also forms the upper portion of the inlet opening ll! of the comminuting device. The passage 230 is controlled by a sink stopper 28 having a plug shaped body forming a closure for this opening and a knob or handle 28:: by which the stopper can be manually lifted for either a complete removal from the inlet opening or for adjustment to a sink-draining position. The mounting sleeve 23 is provided with a tapered internal annular seat 29 adapted to be sealingly engaged by a corresponding tapered annular seat 281) formed on the rim of the stopper 28. The annular seat or shoulder 29 of the sleeve is provided with circumferentiaily spaced axial slots 30 in which corresponding axial lugs 280 of the stopper 28 engage -when the stopper is in its closed or seated position, as shown in Fig. 1. When the stopper is in this closed position it will retain water in the sink. but when the stopper is lifted and rotated to a position to enable the lugs 280 to rest on the annular seat 29 of the sleeve 23, the stopper'will be supported in an elevated position with its seat 282; spaced from the seat 29, and in this position will permit a drainage of water out of the sink and downwardly through the comminuting device Ill.

For controlling the inlet opening 13 of the housing I2, the device is provided with a movable guard or closure member 33 which is reciprocably movable transversely of the inlet opening. As will be explained more fully hereinafter, this guard is in a closed position during the comminuting operation and serves to prevent a person from inserting his hand into the device while it is in operation and possibly sustaining personal injury as the result of such act. The guard also serves as a closure for the inlet opening for preventing pieces of waste material from being thrown out of the device during the comminuting operation.

As shown in the drawings, the guard 33 is in the form of a generally rectangular plate having a width somewhat less than the diameter of the inlet opening 13 so that when the guard is in its closed position, as indicated by the broken line position shown in Fig. 2, segment shaped openings 34 and 35 will be' left at the sides and end of the guard to permit drainage of water downwardly from the sink. To accommodate the guard 33, the upper end of the housing is constructed with a lateral projection 38 thereon which can be formed as an integral part of the flange 12d and which has a recess or guideway 31 therein in which the guard is slidably movable. At its outer aavaeso or forward end. the guard is provided with an upstanding lug or handle 99 against which the operator can place his fingers for extending the guard to its closed position or for retracting the same to the open position shown in full lines.v

ing section lZa. The projection 42 has a valve chamber 43 therein and also has inlet and outlet passages 44 and 45 connected with such valve chamber on opposite sides of a valve seat which, in this instance, is formed by the outer end of the bushing 45. All available source of water under pressure, such as the domestic water supply line, is connected with the inlet passage 44 as by means of the check valve fitting 41 and the hose 48 retained on the latter by the clamp 45a. The outlet passage 45 communicates with the feed passage i4 oi the housing I! at a point just inwardly of the throat or inlet opening l3, as

shown in Fig. 1.

The flow of water through the valve chamber 49 and intovthe housing is controlled by a valve element 49 which cooperates with the valve seat .45 and is carried by an actuating stem or plunger 50. In the construction here shown this stem comprises 'two connected sections, these being an inner or upper section 50a and an outer or lower section 551;. The upper section 550. is slidable in an opening 5| oi the housing section lid and, when the valve element 49 is in its closed position, the rounded upper end Sla oi the stem projects into the path of movement of the cam element 39 of the guard 33. The cover flange 25 of the housing is provided at this point with a slot or recess 52 which accommodates the cam element when the guard is in its closed position and into which the rounded upper end of the valve stem projects.

As shown in Fig. 3, two axially aligned inner and outer sections 55a and 55b of the valve stem are screwed together by means of a. threaded extension 53 of reduced size formed on the outer end of the stem section a. The valve element 49 may be in the form of a conventional faucet washer which surrounds the stem extension 53 and is retained thereon by the outer stem section 55b. The outer stem section extends through and is slidable in a packing gland 54 and is of a length such that its rounded outer end 55 will extend beyond the gland. The outer end of the valve chamber 43 is closed by a nut or plug 55 in which the packing gland 54 is located. A compression spring 51 disposed around the stem section 55b and seating against the inner end of the plug 55 acts on the valve 49 to normally urge the latter toward engagement with the seat 45. In the construction just described for the water inlet valve, it will be observed that the valve element 49 and the valve seat 45 can be readily removed and replaced in substantially the same manner that the corresponding valve and seat elements are renewed in conventional faucets.

The electric motor 15. which drives the comminuting rotor 20, is provided with an energizing circuit by which it can be connected with an electric current supply line, such as an available housing lighting circuit. This energizing circuit includes a control switch 59 which is suitably mounted on the wall of the housng i2 and is located adjacent the outer end of the valve actuating stem 50. The switch 59 is'preierably a so-called "micro-switch having contacts adapted to be closed by a relatively small amount of movement of the switch actuating button or plunger 50. The switch 59 is located so that the switch button '50 will be immediately adjacent the rounded outer end 55 of the valve actuatin stem 50 and when the inner end of the valve stem is engaged by the cam element 39 of the guard 33, the resulting outward movement of the stem which causes opening of the water inlet valve 49 will result in the rounded outer end 55 engaging and actuating the switch button 55 to close the switch contacts and energize the motor l8. Likewise, when the guard 33 is returned to its open position, the movement imparted to the valve stem 59 by the spring 51 to cause closing of the valve 49 also causes the rounded outer end 55 to move away from the switch button 50 thereby permitting the switch contacts'to open and deenergize the circuit of the electric motor II.

If desired, the motor control switch 59 may be shielded against damageby being located in an auxiliary housing 5! which is attached to the main housing I! and has a flexible cover or diaphragm 62 extending over the switch button 55. The flexible cover 52 may be made of metal, plastic or any other suitable material, and has a flexibility such that the switch button 55 can be readily actuated by the rounded end 55 of the valve stem 50 by thrust transmitted through the flexible cover. This flexible cover also prevents water from dripping onto the control switch in the event that any leakage of water should take place from the valve chamber 49 through the gland 54.

The water inlet connection to the housing of the comminuting device l0 preferably also includes a check valve 54 located in the fitting 41 and engageable with a valve seat 55 to prevent a back flow of water from the comminuting device into the water supply line in the event that the pressure in the latter drops to a value which would permit this to occur and the valve 49 should stick in an open position at the same time. The check valve 54 readily permits water to flow toward the comminuting device but prevents the return flow, as mentioned above, so that water contaminated by the garbage or other waste material being ground, cannot enter the water supply system. i

As mentioned above, the comminuting chamber I5 is an annular chamber which is defined by the liner or insert I9 located in the comminuting section l2b of the housing. In this instance the liner I9 is provided with two sets of comminuting elements 55 and 51 for acting on the garbage or other. waste material which is to be ground. The comminuting elements 55 consist of continuous ribs or ridges formed on the inner wall of the liner and projecting into the comminuting'chambar so as to constitute shredding ridges. These ridges extend spirally around the inner wall of the chamber and are of a cross sectional shape such that one edge thereof presents a. square or sharp cutting edge or shoulder 58 and the opposite edge has a bevel or'taper 59 thereon; The spiral direction of the shredding ridges 55 is such that the cutting edges 58 will be presented toward the material which is being rotated or whirled in the comminuting chamber by the rotor 20. The ridges 66 are very effective inreducing or comminuting the vegetable matter or other relatively soft matter which usually forms a substantial part of the waste material to be treated.

The other set of shredding elements 61 are in the form of blades which are disposed in a. substantially spirally extending series having a slope which is opposite to, or the reverse of, the slope of the spiral ridges 66. The blades 67 are here shown as being four in number and are interposed circumferentially among the shredding ridges 66. Any desired number of the blades 61 can be em? ployed and they can be substantially uniformly spaced along their spiral line in which case one or more blades of the series will intersect or cut through the ridges 66. These blades can be located, if desired, so that they will lie between pairs of the ridges 68. The blades 61 are very eifective in reducing or comminuting hard or tough pieces of waste material such as bones and the like.

As shown in Fig. 6, the blades 61 are mounted in slots 10 of the liner l9 and have toothed or serrated arcuate inner edges 1 which project into the comminuting chamber. These blades are of a shape such that they will be retained in the slots of theliner by seating engagement of their outer edges 12, which are here shown as being of arcuate shape, with the inner surface of the outer wall of the housing. The ends of the blades have tapered extensions 13 thereon which extend beyond the ends of the slots and prevent the blades from passing entirely through the slots into the comminuting chamber.

The shredding blades 61' can all be of identica size and shape if this should be: desirable but, in this instance, only the blades 61a, 61b and 610 are of an identical shape while the blade 61d is of a slightly diflerent shape. As best seen in Fig. 6, the blade did is of substantially the same width, radially of the comminuting chamber, for the full extent of its serrated portion so that the teeth H all project into the chamber for substantially the same distance which is here shown as being approximately the height of the shredding ridges 66. The blades 61a, 61b and 610 are all somewhat wider at oneend than at the other end so that the teeth 1| extend into the comrninuting chamber for different distances at the two ends of the blades. As can be readily seen in Fig. 6, the blades 61a, 61b and 61c are relatively narrower at the end thereof which is approached by the rotor projections 20a and at this end the width of the blade is such that the teeth II project into the comminuting chamber approximately the same distance as the shredding ridges 66. At the wide end of theblades 61a, 61b and 610 the teeth I i project into the comminuting chamber a somewhat greater distance than the shredding ridges 66. The narrow end portion of these blades is designated Ila and theirwiderends are designated lib. The efiect of this shape and arrangement for the shredding blades 61a, 61b and 61c is that the space 14 between the: rotor projection 20a and the serrated inner edge of the blades reduces in width as the rotor projection travels along the blades in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow 15.

It'will be noted also that the teeth or serrations II are shaped so that they do not extend on a. true radial line of the comminuting chamber but are inclined away from a radial line 16 so as to point in substantially the direction from which the rotor'projections 20a approach. In this instance the tooth faces are inclined in opposite directions relative to the intermediate radial line 15 at angles of approximately fifteen degrees and forty-five degrees respectively. This inclined position for the teeth and the decreasing width of the working spaces 14 produces a very effective shredding action when the waste material is whirled or propelled around the comminuting chamber by the rotor 20. It will be noted also that, as shown in Fig. 1, the shredding blades 61 are located adjacent the lower end of the liner l9 so that they will be traversed or swept by the rotor projections 26a. Likewise it will be understood that when the material is being whirled around the comminuting chamber by the rotor at, centrifugal force will act to press the material against the outer wall, thereby causing the material to repeatedly pass over and be acted upon by the shredding blades 6'! and also by the sharp cutting edges 68 of the shredding ridges 66. The fact that the shredding blades 67 are disposed on a reverse slope with respect to the shredding ridges 6B is very important, because in this position these blades prevent pieces of material from becoming grooved by the shredding ridges 66 which might otherwise result in such pieces repeatedly following these ridges without being subjected to a complete comminuting action.

It is not necessary that the serrated inner edges of the blades be of arcuate shape because they can be straight as in the case of the serrated inner edge 18a of the modified blade 18 shown in Fig. 11. The modified blade 18 can be of the same width for the full length of its serrated portion as in the case of the above-described blade Bid or, similar to the above-described blades 61a, 61b and B10 and for the same purpose, it can have a narrow end 18b and a wide end 18c as here shown. When one or more blades having such a straight inner edge are used, the rotor projections 28a will be shaped or located so that they will not strike the blades.

As indicated above, the rotor 20 forms the bottom of the comminutlng chamber l5 and is here shown as being a cone-shaped disk whose outer edge 11 cooperates with the liner I 9 in defining the annular discharge opening or space 22 through which the comminuting material passes from the comminuting chamber iii to the discharge chamber IS. The rotor 20 is here shown as being provided with two of the axially extending projections 20a which are mounted in notches or recesses 19 formed in the outer edge of the rotor and are retained therein by means of the screws 80. The portions of the projections which overlap the shredding blades 61 are recessed, or cut away, as indicated at 8|.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the spiral shredding ridges 66 extend substantially to the bottom or lower end of the liner l9. The lower end of the liner may also be provided with additional shredding ridges 82 (see Fig. 7) which are of a relatively short axial length and are located opposite the rim or edge of the rotor 20. These auxiliary ridges 82 are provided in suflicient number so that they will assist the main shredding ridges G6 in dividing the annular discharge space or passage 22 into a plurality of annularly spaced slots 83. These slots function in the manner of strainer openingswhich permit only the material which has been ground to a small size to pass into the discharge chamber it while 7 9 larger particles will be retained in the comminuting chamber for further treatment.

The ground material which fiows downwardly into the discharge chamber ll passes out of this chamber through the delivery nozzle II. This ground material is propelled toward the discharge opening II by impeller blades 84 formed on the underside of the rotor.

In the use or the above described comminuting device, the sink stopper 2! is removed from the inlet sleeve 23 and the waste material or garbage is dumped into the feed passage or cham ber ll through the inlet opening l3. some of the waste material will immediately drop down into the comminuting chamber It. When the entire supply of waste material has been charged into the device, or when the feed chamber It has been substantially filled, the guard 33 is slid toward the" left, as seen in Fig. 1, to its closed position and this movement of the guard will cause the cam element 38 thereof to actuate the stem 50 so as to substantially simultaneously open the water supply valve I! and close the motor energizing switch 59.

The guard 33 is left or held in its closed position until the entire charge of waste material has i0 cient, practical and ruggedand which will produce a rapid and substantially complete comminution of all forms of kitchen waste material.

I Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A comminuting device of the character described comprising a housing having a feed passage for material to be comminuted including an inlet, cooperating stationary and movable comminuting members in said housing for causing comminution of said material, power means for driving the movable comminuting member, a guard controlling said inlet and being reciprocably movable transversely thereof from an open position in which said inlet is uncovered fo the charging of material into said feed passage to a closed position extending across said inlet so as to prevent injurious personal contact with said comminuting members, and laterally outwardly projecting means on said housing substantially opposite said inlet and containing a guideway in which said guard is reciprocably been consumed and expelled through the delivery nozzle ll, whereupon the guard is moved to its retracted or open position. This opening movement of the guard results in a closing of the water valve 4! and the opening of the switch 59, as explained above, for stopping the motor l8. If there is additional waste material to be disposed of, this operation can be repeated and after all of the material has been consumed, thesink stopper 28 can be replacedin the opening of the connecting sleeve 23. The guard 33 is normally left in its open position, which corresponds with the inoperative condition of the device, and waste material can be dropped into the'chamber H from time to time by simply lifting the stopper II.

Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings show a modified construction in which the liner 90 or the comminuting chamber ll has a plain or smooth inner surface by reason of the fact that the above described spiral shredding ridges have been omitted. The liner 90 is provided with a series of serrated shredding blades 92 which are similar to the blades 61 above described, but slope in the same direction relative to rotor rotation as the ridges 66. In this instance, however, there are five of the shredding blades 92 of which the slidable.

2. A comminuting device of the character described comprising a housing having 'a grinding chamber therein for material to be comminuted including an inlet, cooperating stationary and movable comminuting members in said housing for causing comminution of said material in said grinding chamber, power means for driving the movable comminuting member, a guard controlling said inlet and being reciprocably movable transversely thereof from an open position in which said inlet is uncovered for the charging of material into said grinding chamber to a closed position extending across said inlet so as to prevent injurious personal contact with said comminuting members, said guard being narrower than the width of said inlet so that when in its closed position edge portions of the guard cooperate with the edge of the inlet to define drain openings leading into said grinding chamber and through which water can be supplied to said grinding chamber during the grinding operation, and a stopper in said inlet above said guard and adapted to be removed for charging material into said chamber while the guard is in its open position, said stopper being adapted to occupy lowermost blade 92a is disposed in a plane which a 90 of this modified construction is also provided adjacent its lower end with an annular series of relatively inclined grooves or slots 95 which are provided in sumcient number such that the intervening portions of the wall of the liner form teeth 98 which cooperate with the edge or rim of the rotor 93 to form a strainer which permits only finely ground material to pass from the comminuting chamber 9| into the discharge chamber 91.,

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings it will now be readily recognized that the present invention provides improved garbage disposal apparatus which is emtwo positions in'said inlet, one being a sealing position and the other being a position permitting drainage of liquid through the inlet.

3. A comminuting device of the character described comprising a housing having a feed passage for material to be comminuted including an inlet, cooperating stationary and movable comminuting members in said housing for causing comminution of said material, electric power means for driving the movable comminutin member, a guard controlling'said inlet and beingreciprocably movable transversely thereof from an open position in which said inlet is uncovered for the charging of material into said feed passage to a closed position blocking said inlet so as to prevent injurious personal contact with said comminuting members, laterally projecting means on saidhousing substantially opposite said inlet and containing a guideway in which said guard is reciprocably slidable, a circuit for said power means, a switch in said circuit, and switch closing means adapted to be engaged and actuated by said guard during its movement toward said closed position.

4. A comminuting device of the character described comprising a housing having a feed passage for material to be comminuted including an inlet, cooperating stationary and movable comminuting members in said housing for causing comminution of said material, power means for driving the movable comminuting member, a guard controlling said inlet and being reciprocably movable transversely thereof from an open position in which said inlet is uncovered for the charging of material into said feed passage to a closed position extending across said inlet, laterally projecting means on said housing substantially opposite said inlet and containing a guideway in which said guard is reciprocably slidable, water supply means communicating with said feed passage inwardly of said guard and including a valve, and a movable valve actuating member adapted to be engaged by said guard during movement of the latter toward its closed position for causing opening of said valve.

5. In comminuting apparatus, a housing having a comminuting chamber and inlet and outlet openings for respectively admitting solid material to said chamber and disharglng comminuted material therefrom, means for comminuting the material supplied to said chamber including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means providing a water supply passage extending into said housing, a valve controlling said passage, a circuit for said motor, a switch in said circuit, an actuating member common to said valve and said switch and being movable in a given direction to concurrently open the valve and close the switch, and a guard reciprocably movable transversely of said inlet opening to control the same and being effective during movement toward its closed position to impart movement in said given direction to said actuating member.

v6. In comminuting apparatus, a housing having a comminuting chamber and inlet and outlet openings for respectively admitting solid material to said chamber and discharging comminuted material therefrom, means for comminuting the material supplied to said chamber including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means providing a water supply passage extending into said housing, a valve controlling said passage. a circuit for said motor, a switch in said circuit, an actuating member common to said valve and said switch and being movable in a given direction to concurrently open the valve-and close the switch, a guard reciprocably movable transversely of said inlet opening to control the same, and a cam carried by said guard and engageable with said actuating member to shift the latter-in said given direction during movement of the guard toward its closed position.

7. In comminuting apparatus, a housing having a comminuting chamber and inlet and outlet openings for respectively admitting solid material to said chamber and discharging comminuted material therefrom, means for comminuting the material supplied to said chamber including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means providing a water supply passage extending into said housing, a guard reciprocably movable transversely of said inlet opening for controlling the same, a stem mounted for movement in the direction of its axis and having one end thereof extending into the path of said guard to be engaged thereby such that movement of the guard toward its closed position will impart movement in a given axial direction to said stem, a valve carried by said stem and controlling said passage, said valve being normally held in a closed position but being mov- 12 able to an open position by movement of said stem in said given direction, a circuit for said motor, and a switch in said circuit, said switch being disposed relative to the outer end of said stem such as to be closed in response to movement of the stem in said given direction.

8. In comminuting apparatus, a housing, having a comminuting chamber and inlet and outlet openings for respectively admitting solid material to said chamber and discharging comminuted material therefrom, means for comminuting the material supplied to said chamber including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means providing awater supply passage extending into said housing, a guard reciprocably movable transversely of said inlet opening for controlling the same, means on said housing defining a guideway extending outwardly of the housing and in inclined relation to the direction of movement of said guard, a stem movable in said guideway and having the inner end thereof extending into the path of said guard to be engaged thereby such that movement of the guard toward its closed position will impart outward axial movement to the stem, a valve carried by said stem and controlling said passage,

said valve being normally held in a closed position but being movable to an open position by said outward axial movement of the stem, a circuit for said motor, a switch in said circuit and having an actuating member, and means mounting said switch with its actuating member in a position to be engaged and actuated by the outer end of said stem.

9. In comminuting apparatus, a housing having a comminuting chamber and inlet and outlet openings for respectively admitting solid material to said chamber and discharging comminuted material therefrom, means for comminuting the material supplied to said chamber including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means providing a water supply passage extending into said housing, a guard reciprocably movable transversely of said inlet opening for controlling the same, means on said housing defining a guideway extending outwardly of. the housing and in inclined relation to thedirection of movement of said guard, a stem movable in said guideway and having the inner end thereof extending into the path of said guard to be engaged thereby such that movement of the guard toward its closed position will impart outward axial movement to the stem, a valve carried by said stem and controlling said passage, said valve being normally held in a closed position but being movable to an open position by said outward axial movement of the stem, a circuit for said motor. a switch in said circuit and having an actuating member, means mounting said switch with its actuatingmember in a position to be engaged and actuated by the outer end of said stem, and a flexible shield protecting said switch and extending between the switch actuating member and the outer end of said stem.

10. In comminuting apparatus, an upright housing having a substantially vertical-axis grinding chamber therein and an inlet constituting an upward continuation of said grinding chamber, means for comminuting material supplied to said chamber through said inlet including a comminuting rotor, an electric motor for driving said rotor, means defining a guideway extending through the wall of said housing so as to extend downwardly and outwardly relative to said inlet and having its upper end located adia- 13 cent said inlet, a circuit for saidmotor. a switch contained in said circuit and mounted on said housing exteriorly thereof and at a point adjacent to the lower end of said guideway, a stem inclined so as to extend downwardly and outwardly relative to the axis of said inlet and reciprocably operable in said guideway with its lower end in switch-operating relation to said switch and its upper end extending into the inlet portion of said housing, closure means movable in said inlet portion of said housing for blocking said inlet to prevent injurious personal contact with said rotor, and a cam carried by said closure means and engageable with the upper end of said stem for imparting movement to the stem in a 15 direction to cause actuation of said switch.

mom 0. scnmmm 14 REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,030,169 Emery June 18, 1912 1,174,656 Beckwith Mar. 7, 1916 1,613,251 Stead Jan. 4, 1927 2,012,680 Hammes Aug. 27, 1935 2,133,756 Rogers Oct. 18, 1938 2,141,311 Meeker Dec. 27, 1938 2,156,075 Alexay Apr. 25, 1939 2,166,786 Alexay July 18, 1939 2,185,037 Powers Dec. 26, 1939 2,225,171 Hammes Dec. 17, 1949 2,322,058 Powers June 15, 1943 2,428,420 Green Oct. 7, 1947 

